The action of the League in expelling the Sportsman’s Park and Club from the association and recognizing the new organization formed by Robison and Becker has aroused the greatest enthusiasm (in St. Louis) and the fans already see the pennant flying from the flagstaff at the ball grounds. The deal means the transfer to this city of the Cleveland Club in its entirety.The new Browns will have Tebeau on first base, Childs at second, Cross at third and Wallace at short. The outfielders will be Burkett, Griffin, and Stenzel. O’Connor, Criger, Schrecongost and Clements will be the catchers and the pitching staff will consist of Young, Cuppy, Powell, Wilson, Bates, Jones and Hughey. Ed McKean will remain with the Cleveland team. So will Zimmer and Blake. The other St. Louis players, including Hill, Carsey, Sudhoff, Stivetts, Sugden, Tucker, Quinn, Harley, and Dowd will be transferred to the Forest City to fill the other places. Stanley Robison will be the president of the Cleveland Club.

It was leaked out that the new St. Louis Club was organized about a week ago when the following officers were elected: President Frank de Haas Robison, of Cleveland; vice president Edward C. Becker; Stanley Robison; secretary William Schofield. Mr. Becker will have no interest in the Cleveland Club. He is satisfied with his holdings in the local club, which are exactly equal with Robison. The statement already made that Mr. Robison holds a slight excess of stock, just enough to give him control, is not correct. Mr. Becker and Mr. Robison hold share and share alike in the new corporation…

Chris Von der Ahe does not propose to give up the fight for the possession of the Browns franchise. The publication on Sunday of the Rogers-Muckenfuss letter has convinced the boss that he is the victim of a conspiracy and he proposes to have the sale of the Sportsman’s Park and Club set aside, if possible. To-day he filed his notice of an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court from the decision of Judge Spencer ordering the property sold to satisfy the creditors. Under this decree the property was sold, then later transferred to E.C. Becker, who in turn took into partnership Frank Robison, thus, it is said, confirming all that was admitted in the Rogers letter…

When the League met late in the day…St. Louis had no delegate and no proxy, and here is where another piece of political strategy came into play. Mr. Muckenfuss was absent but Mr. Becker was in attendance. The latter, however, did not enter the meeting, as he claimed he had no right to do so, not being an officer of the club, although it subsequently developed that he might have entered had he been disposed to do so by virtue of authority delegated by Muckenfuss. In the position assumed by Mr. Becker, St. Louis was left without anyone to offer resignation, as had been the supposed programme and this apparently made expulsion necessary, if the St. Louis muddle were to be settled then and there.

The debate upon Mr. Hart’s motion to expel the St. Louis Base Ball Association, in accordance with the recommendation of the directors, and to admit the new American Base Ball and Athletic Exhibition Company was long and bitter and a show of hands proved Colonel Rogers to be left alone to bear the burden of argument, cajolery and denunciation. Mr. Hart, in support of his motion, stated that the expulsion of the St. Louis Club was only a matter of justice to the League and to its law abiding members and that it was also essential to the successful and satisfactory settlement of the St. Louis question. He furthermore now favored such a course because the situation no longer invited judicial interference. Mr. Brush took the ground that the move was the safest for the League and the best for those who proposed to operate base ball in St. Louis, who would thus be protected against unfair harassment for debts contracted in other ventures by Mr. Von der Ahe. Mr. Robison also made the same plea and stated that Mr. Becker agreed with him in this view.Mr. Becker was called before the meeting and stated that he was decidedly in favor of the step, he having made a satisfactory arrangement with Mr. Robison regarding the new club and the disposition of the Cleveland team. All of the other delegates expressed similar views except Colonel Rodgers…

Finally, however, partly from exhaustion and partly in compliance with the pleas of Soden and Young, (Rodgers) yielded and consented to make the vote for expulsion unanimous…This done, the old St. Louis Club was expelled and the new club admitted by unanimous vote, after a long and exhausting session.-From Sporting Life, April 1, 1899

This was really the end of the line. Von der Ahe's fall was complete, as the League expelled the Browns and admitted the new St. Louis club.

One thing I've been thinking about and want to point out is that the St. Louis Cardinals date their existence to 1892, when the Browns joined the National League. Now, I've always said how stupid that was because they were dismissing a decade of the club's history, including four championships. Their reasoning, I believe, comes down to marketing and the difficulty of quickly explaining the American Association to your average baseball fan. It's easier to just print "1892" on a t-shirt than to explain the complexities of baseball in the 1880s.

However, if we want to be really honest about this, we should date the founding of the Cardinals to 1899, when the Browns were expelled from the League and a new St. Louis franchise was created. Von der Ahe's Browns ceased to exist after the 1898 season and were replaced by the Robisons/Becker Perfectos, who changed their name to the Cardinals after one season. But try fitting that on a t-shirt. Given that I've just spent a couple of months explaining the whole thing to myself, I could only imagine Mike Shannon trying to explain it to Cardinal Nation. Good luck with that.

The St. Louis muddle has at last been settled and settled just as Sporting Life, with its usual perspicuity and inside knowledge, said it would be settled. Mr. E.C. Becker purchased from the creditors syndicate the franchise and other property of the club. The consideration is not named but from the fact that Frank R. Tate, representing a local syndicate, offered $35,000 cash and agreed to pay the league dues…the price is thought to be about $40,000.

On Friday evening the creditors met and decided to get rid of their white elephant. Telegrams were sent to the League magnates asking how they would vote to receive the purchaser of the Browns in the League. Becker received a dispatch from John Rogers of Philadelphia, in answer to one sent assuring, assuring him that either he or Mr. Robison would be satisfactory. With this assurance that they could deliver the goods to a person satisfactory to the League, the creditors at once closed the deal.

The sale carries with it all the stands and property now in Sportsman’s Park, 15 year lease on the grounds and the following ball players: Pitchers Hill, Hughey, Carsey, Sudhoff, Stivetts, catchers Clements and Sugden, first baseman Tucker, second baseman Quinn, third baseman L. Cross, left fielder Harley, centre fielder Stenzel, right fielder Dowd.

On Friday evening also the American Base Ball and Athletic Exhibition Company of St. Louis was incorporated with a capital of $100,000. Becker holds 996 of the 1000 shares.The four other shares are held by brokers’ clerks in order to form a directory…The corporation is formed for the purposes of conducting the base ball club and general athletic enterprises. It is understood Mr. Becker will put in bowling alleys and the essentials for other forms of amusement.

Like a full-fledged magnate, Mr. Becker believes in being mysterious and declines to see newspaper men. To his friends, however, he denies emphatically that he has formed any alliance with Frank De H. Robison, or any other League magnate, and his investigations into the expense of conducting the team…all point to an apparent intention to conduct the team himself. Opposed to this, however, were a full crop of rumors that the purchase was not made until an understanding had been reached by which Mr. Robison and Mr. Becker were to pool issues.- From Sporting Life, March 25, 1899

Well, the muddle wasn't completely settled. There was still a little matter of the official franchise rights to be dealt with but the League would take care of that.

One thing that I don't think I've really mentioned in all of this is the question of franchise rights. The reason for that is that the idea of a baseball franchise as a piece of property still didn't really exist in 1899. You could see that in the League constitution, which stated that franchise rights couldn't be sold. Franchise rights were something more along the lines of membership in the League, rather than something real that was owned.

VdA, I think, was trying to argue that the St. Louis League franchise was something that he owned, separate from the property of the SPCA. Nobody bought that argument. One of the reasons for this was that franchise rights was not something you owned but, rather, it was something granted to you. It was something given. It was something temporal and ephemeral.

I think a good area of study would be the development of the modern idea of franchise rights. I'm not the guy to do that but somebody should get on it. The Von der Ahe situation would certainly be something that would merit a look when trying to trace the development of all of that.

St. Louis, March 14.-Under the foreclosure of a deed of trust, Sheriff Pohlmann sold at public auction to-day the Sportsman's Park and Club, including the franchise held by the St. Louis Browns, to G.A. Gruner, one of the Directors of the club, for $33,000. Mr. Gruner is Treasurer of the Phil Gruner & Brother Lumber Company. After the sale he said: "I bought the property for the creditors and bondholders." Ramell & Muerch, attorneys for the bondholders, said: "This is a bona fide purchase of the property by the creditors who will probably run the club themselves."-The New York Times, March 15, 1899

St. Louis, March 17.-Edward C. Becker, a capitalist of this city, has purchased the St. Louis Browns from the creditors who bought the club's assets last Tuesday at Sheriff's sale.-The New York Times, March 18, 1899

Now that we reached the point where the club was sold at a public auction, it feels kind of anticlimactic. Regardless, it should be noted that the St. Louis Browns were owned, for a day or two, by Gustave A. Gruner.

We really are just about done with this and I'm going to try and wrap it all up soon. We're pretty much at the point where the club gets sold, the League creates a new St. Louis franchise and Von der Ahe is finally and completely out of baseball. But before I get to that, I want to take a step back and post some stuff I found in my notes the other day. This is really just a big information dump to make sure we obsessively cover all aspects of the subject.

President Von der Ahe, of the St. Louis Base Ball Club, last week elected his Board of Directors. Of course, the stock holders went through the form of an election, but as Mr. Chris Von der Ahe owns about seven-eighths of the stock the election was merely a matter of courtesy. Anyhow the following directors were elected for the ensuing year or rather as long as they do what is right with the great base ball interests of Mr. Von der Ahe: Chris Von der Ahe, J.W. Peckington, Charles Higgins, Benjamin Steward Muckenfuss and Edward Becker...Next week a meeting will be held and a statement will be made regarding the business done during last year in horse racing and base ball. It is stated that the Browns cleared $12,000 on the season.

Von der Ahe acknowledges that there was only one year in all his experience as a magnate in which he lost money on base ball. That was during the Brotherhood year. And in the future he promises to stick entirely to base ball and become a pillar in the church. This change in Chris' temperament is accounted for by an interview which appeared in the "Republic" the other day, in which a director of the St. Louis Club says:

"We buried about $40,000 in the chutes, which, all stories to the contrary, paid us about 25 per cent on the investment. That leaves us still $30,000 in the hole on the chute question. Then we paid Fred Foster $42,000 for his interest in that track and we lost some money running races in opposition to the other tracks. Oh, we had a mazy time of it when we went against the racing game. I think that we will make money out of the chutes, and we have it fixed so that we will not lose another cent on the race track, so I think we have gotten over our worst days."

It is hoped that this is true and that the St. Louis Club will use some of its profits in the future purchasing new players.

-Sporting Life, January 23, 1897

I can't remember if I posted this article from Sporting Life or not so I'm making sure I include it in this little series. This is an important piece because it gives a good look at the VdA's financial situation prior to the 1897 season and before things completely fell apart in 1898.

Things to note:

- Von der Ahe still had complete control of the Browns going into the 1897 season, controlling "seven-eights of the stock" and Edward Becker was already on board as a minority stockholder.

-The Browns were a profitable organization from a baseball perspective. The financial difficulties that pushed the team into receivership were a result of outside economic interests rather than a failure of the Browns to make money. Now this may have changed going forward and the club almost certainly lost money in 1897 and 1898. The lack of a positive cash flow from the ball club in those years exacerbated VdA's financial problems but I think we can state that the club's financial situation was not VdA's biggest problem.

-Based on the information from the Republic, it looks like Von der Ahe over-expanded between 1892 and 1896 (the new ballpark, the racetrack, etc) and was unable to generate enough cash flow to cover the debt that he took on in that expansion. In January of 1898, the total liabilities of the club would be listed as $58,718 and most of that was what was owed on the ballpark bonds and money lent to the club by Becker in an attempt to keep Von der Ahe afloat. A total debt of $127,000 was listed for the corporation itself and that included the investments in the racetrack and the chutes as well as the debts of the club. If my math is correct (and assuming the chutes brought in another $10,000 in 1897), the investments in the ballpark, the racetrack, and the chutes alone were responsible for more than seventy percent of the debt of the SPCA. Becker's loans to the club (which were a direct result of Von der Ahe's over-expansion) amounted to about ten percent of the debt.

As The Sporting News goes to press, the stockholders of Sportsman's Park and Club are holding their annual meeting for the election of five directors, puruant to a warrant issued by Justice of the Peace Henry S. Harmon, at the request of E.C. Becker and B.S. Muckenfuss, two of the stockholders. The majority of the stock is held and will be voted by Mr. E.C. Becker, who acquired it from Chris Von der Ahe to secure advances. Neither Chris or any of his retainers will be elected to the Board and thus Von der Ahe will be without any claim to recognition from the League, should he attempt to represent the local club at the meeting.

-Sporting Life, February 25, 1899

Again, I can't remember if I posted this little squib but I'm putting it here because I want to compare and contrast the stock situation in January 1897 to that in February 1899. In two years, VdA went from holding almost all of the stock of the SPCA to being, at best, a minority shareholder. Also, compare this to yesterday's post, where VdA stated that it couldn't be proved that he didn't hold the majority of stock in the SPCA.

I want to say that there is no doubt that Becker was the majority shareholder but I'm not certain. He may have been the largest shareholder but I don't think he owned a majority of the stock. If he did, why didn't he just boot VdA out and why was he trying to purchase the club in the summer of 1898? If Becker was the majority shareholder in 1898, he, rather than VdA, owned the club. It doesn't add up. I think that VdA still owned a large number of shares in the SPCA and had enough friends and supporters among the other shareholders to have majority control.

That explains a lot about what was going on between VdA, Becker and Muckenfuss. VdA had lost clear-cut, majority control of the organization and Becker, by 1898, was the largest shareholder. VdA, however, still controlled the organization through the shares that he owned and those of his supporters. Muckenfuss' authority originally came from VdA, who had him named president of the SPCA, and then from the courts but he had no real authority because he didn't own the club.

The Major League magnates have arrived (in Baltimore) and will begin their spring session at the Hotel Rennert at noon to-day. Rumors of a sensational order are flying thick and fast. They involve the transfer of the Cleveland Club to St. Louis and the location of the Browns in that city...Von der Ahe, who arrived this morning, is accompanied by Mr. E.C. Becker, a St. Louis capitalist, who is regarded as Chris' "Angel." It is said that he has already secured 25 per cent of the Browns' stock and is here to protect his holdings in case Robison makes a deal for the Browns.

St. Louis is expected to cut a big figure at the League meeting. Not because Von der Ahe carries any influence or that he is apt to offer large sums of money for franchises and blocks of players but because the other owners are expected to help him out by giving him some of their surplus material and in this way strengthen the otherwise weak Browns. The great national sport was never in better repute than it is to-day. This healthful state of affairs is noticeable in every city in the country holding league membership excepting St. Louis. That city is rapidly on the wane as regards base ball. In the old days Comiskey's champions were world-beaters, now (the Browns) as at present constituted have little or no chance of finishing in better than last place. Something may drop at Baltimore and it may be that Chris will cause the dull sickening thud.

-Sporting News, February 27, 1897

This is noteworthy because TSN is stating that the VdA and the Browns were in trouble after the 1896 season, which is probably the earliest mention of the situation that I have. Also, they give us a number for the amount of stock that Becker owned going into the 1897 season. As the situation got worse, VdA sold Becker more of his stock and borrowed more money from him, with even more stock used as security. Eventually it got so bad that VdA had to promise Becker all of the gate money in exchange for a loan to pay the players.

Late Wednesday afternoon Sportsman's Park and Club filed a chattel deed of trust securing liabilities in excess of $108,000. Chris Von der Ahe is named as trustee. He is also a preferred creditor in the aggregate of $91,000. Thirty other creditors are named with claims ranging from $100 to $3,075. The largest sum is due to the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.

The Union Bank of St. Paul has a claim for $1,751.46 and the Northwestern Savings Bank a claim for $100. David Nicholson is a creditor to the amount of [unreadable] and the Laclede Gas Light Company to the extent of $800. The other claims aggregate about $10,050, making the outside indebtedness about $17,000.

The alleged indebtedness to Chris comprises 32 notes of $1,500 each and 20 notes of $1,000 each. One big note of $13,935.72, another of $12,000 and one for $3,950 were executed Wednesday, all three being for a period of six months. The other indebtedness to Chris comprises over 30 counts, running from $50 up...

Von der Ahe is authorized to take charge of the assets, which consist of the entire Sportsman's Park outfit, and sell the property at private sale, in six months. Such assets as remain unsold at the end of six months are to be sold at public sale at the east front door of the Courthouse. He is also directed to keep the property insured for $31,800.

Duly recorded mortgages and judgments against Sportsman's Park and Club are not affected by the deed. Neither are the bonds to the amount of $20,000 guaranteed, by the St. Louis Trust Company. Mr. Becker, it is understood, has as security for his loan a large block of stock enough it is said to give him the controlling interest in the club. He waived protest on the 12th..., on Chris' promise to take up the note for $12,000 up on Saturday, June 15. The deed of trust puts Mr. Becker's security in danger, as the stock will be worthless if Von der Ahe's preferred claims are paid.

While Von der Ahe held the office of president of the corporation, Sportsman's Park and Club could not assign to him and give his claims preference. In order to do this in uniformity to the law, he as the principal stockholder elected B.S. Muckenfuss president and J.W. Peckington secretary and they turned the trick.

The effort to bar out other creditors will be fought bitterly in the courts, and in the opinion of these familiar with Chris' mental abilities, the deposed boss will not be able to stand the ordeal of cross-examination and the chances are that the conspiracy against his creditors will fail in its purpose...

(Muckenfuss stated that) "Mr. Von der Ahe is not at all concerned about what he owes personally, as he is to all intents and purposes insolvent. His real estate is mortgaged to such an extent that his creditors can't realize a dollar on judgments and his personal property is pledged to its full value. What he wants to do is to save something from his base ball interests and his lawyer is hard at work on a scheme with this in view. Then again he is desirous of defeating his wife in an effort to secure alimony. In other words, he don't intend to sell his club or anything he has unless he finds a way to avoid the payment of his debts."

This movement on the part of Von der Ahe confirms the opinion of Mr. John T. Brush that the affairs of Sportsman's Park are in such a rotten condition that it is impossible to give a clear title to its holdings...

The total liabilities (of the club) including the $20,000 issue of bonds and the Becker note for $12,000, as set forth in the Muckenfuss statement amounted to $58,717.54. The debts of the corporation according to the deed of trust aggregate $127,000...

Chris' claims were never referred to and considerable surprise was caused by the announcement that he was creditor of the club to such a large amount as $91,000. The efforts of the other creditors will be directed, so it is said, to establishing in court that his claims...should not be allowed. From the manner and method of the assignment some are of the opinion that Von der Ahe executed a flank movement on his creditors. Others declare that he had gained nothing but time and to do this has had to confess he is hopelessly bankrupt.

The assignment settles one question. The St. Louis Browns will soon pass from Chris' control. Without cash or credit, he can never as magnate or trustee put the team in the field. All his transactions from now on with the railroads and all other parties must be on a cash basis and he is without means...

The troubles of Von der Ahe were not ended when he covered his club with a blanket trust deed. The matured bonds of the club for $20,000, guaranteed by the St. Louis Trust Company, must be paid and the Becker note for $12,000 can not be extended. Other creditors are not idle. Sheriff Henry Troll has levied upon whatever interest the Sportsman's Park and Club has in the following property:

"A lot of ground situated in city block 9,386 beginning at a point in the northwest corner of Grand and St. Louis avenues and extending along Grand avenue...Also, a certain leasehold given and granted by one Jemima Lindell to the said Sportsman's Park and Club on April 1, 1892 for a period of 15 years and six months from said date on (a piece of property on Natural Bridge road)...

Sportsman's Park and Club does not own any of the above described real estate. It only has a lease-hold interest in it.

This levy was made Wednesday by virtue and authority of an execution issued by the Circuit Court...On the strength of this execution the Sheriff announces that he will sell all the right, title, claim, interest, estate and property of the Sportsman's Park and Club to the above described property at the Courthouse February 5.

-The Sporting News, January 15, 1898

The situation had deteriorated badly between January 1897 and January 1898. There are two different sets of numbers in the article. The first comes from the "chattel deed of trust" establishing Von der Ahe as the club's primary creditor. The second set of numbers come from "the Muckenfuss statement." These numbers came out of "recent" negotiations between Von der Ahe and an Indianapolis syndicate regarding the potential sale of the Browns. During the negotiations, Muckenfuss "submitted to (the syndicate) an itemized statement of the club's indebtedness..."

Von der Ahe elected himself president of the Sportsman's Park and Club last Thursday afternoon, and also selected a Board of Directors to his liking. Under a decree of the Courts a meeting of stockholders was held for the purpose of electing officers. Chris and his friends were there in force, and when the meeting organized Chris was elected chariman and appointed tellers. He presented 1678 shares of stock, which with others he controlled made 1716.

Muckenfuss protested that Chris had no right to vote the stock as he had sold it to Becker, and Becker had a certificate of sale. "He can't show the sale on the books," Chris retorted - Chris has the books. Becker tried to vote on the certificate, but was ruled out by the tellers, and therefore Chris is triumphant.

Receiver Muckenfuss was not present when the meeting was called to order, but when he arrived raised a protest against voting 1678 shares of stock which he said were owned by Edward Becker. The matter will be taken to the Courts for final settlement. Chris will attend the League meeting or, if his health does not permit, he will send a representative. Becker is undecided whether to go. Muckenfuss says he will not attend.

-Sporting Life, March 4, 1899

This was a meaningless victory for Von der Ahe. So he got himself elected president of a bankrupt organization whose assets were about to be sold at public auction. And on top of that, the election was most likely not legal. You have to give the man credit - he fought to the end to keep control of his club. There was no quit in Chris Von der Ahe.

In VdA's eyes, this was an important win. He believed, as per the League constitution, that the St. Louis franchise could not be transferred by sale. Therefore, if the SPCA was the rightful franchise holder and VdA was the head of the SPCA, he would have legal control of the franchise rights, regardless of the public sale of the SPCA's property.

His real fight, at this point, was with the League, which was determined to dissolve the St. Louis franchise and reconstitute it under the ownership of Robison, et al. He probably believed that he could go the League meeting and convince a majority of the owners to vote against dissolving the franchise, allowing him to soldier on in some form or another. But Von der Ahe, of course, was sadly mistaken about that.

One of the lawyers for the Mississippi Valley Trust Company said: "The franchise of the Sportsman's Park and Club will probably be sold early in March at the Court House door to the highest bidder. Von der Ahe's attorneys will likely move for a new trial, and the motion will probably be passed upon Feb. 2. Then there will have to be the thirty days' notice given before the sale can be made, which will make it occur about March 4 or 5. I don't think my clients will be offered anything for their judgement. Who the purchaser of the club will be I have no idea.

Is He Merely An Agent?

A St. Louis dispatch in commenting upon the present status of the case says: "E.C. Becker, practically the agent for Frank Robison, of Cleveland, will purchase the assets and assign 55 per cent. of the stock to Frank and Stanley Robison, and the Cleveland team will be immediately transferred to St. Louis."

Mr. Becker will undoubtedly buy the club, but not as agent for anybody. If he buys he will buy for himself, he being rich enough to cover almost any of the League magnates. Having secured the club he will undoubtedly enter into negotiation for the Cleveland team, but if anybody thinks Becker will give away his bird in the hand for two in the bush - or, in other words, give up a controlling interest in his own club for a handful of players - he will be badly fooled. Becker will deal fair, but nobody will get so much the best of him as the above dispatch would indicate. Mark the prediction.

When Mr. Von der Ahe's cross-examination in the St. Louis case before Judge Spencer on Jan. 18 was concluded, J.P. Reichers, the architect, was the first witness sworn in rebuttal. His testimony was to the effect that Von der Ahe had told him the bonds covered the base ball franchise, which was worth $100,000, and that their value was far in excess of the amount they called for. Charles P. Reichers, the junior member of the firm, said that after his firm had built the stands and fences at Sportsman's Park, they presented their bill to Von der Ahe for payment, but were unable to get a settlement. The plans and specifications, he said, were in the name of Sportsman's Park and Club.

Paid In Promises.

He and his father wanted cash payment for their work, but Chris urged them to take the bonds, as he had no money in hand, and would guarantee their payment within nine months.

"Chris opened up a bond before us," declared young Mr. Reichers, "and showed us the word 'franchise,' and said, 'Why that's worth $75,000, and maybe $100,000. It pays 8 per cent. and is better than cash.' Von der Ahe persuaded us to take them, and we did."

"You've made a great deal of money out of Mr. Von der Ahe, haven't you?" asked Mr. Kinnerk.

"Oh, I don't know," replied the witness. "Not at this rate. He owes us."

Becker On The Stand.

E.C. Becker, who was the power behind the throne in St. Louis base ball circles, was next called. He said that on Aug. 6, 1898, Von der Ahe had sent to him asking him to come to the park at once. He did, and upon his arrival there Chris told him the players were about to strike, as their salaries had not been paid. Lave Cross was the spokesman of the party, so Mr. Becker said Von der Ahe had told him, and he declared that the men would not play the following day, Saturday, unless their money was paid them in full. Von der Ahe asked Mr. Becker for a loan sufficiently large to pay the players off, and added that in case the club did not meet its contractual obligations to its players, and failed to play its scheduled games, its franchise would be forfeited. Mr. Becker loaned Von der Ahe the needed money with the understanding that it would be paid back to him out of the gate receipts and that a trustee's sale should be held. This was afterwards reconsidered, and Muckenfuss was appointed receiver.

Documentary Evidence.

After the noon recess documentary evidence was introduced, including papers in the Newell case, denying that the local club was owned by the St. Louis Base Ball Association, the affidavits of Chris and Ed Von der Ahe to that effect, a letter signed by George Munson for Chris Von der Ahe and the pleadings in the Athletic case and others of a like purport.

Chris Hit Again.

When Mr. Becker was recalled he testified that on June 6, 1898, he had loaned Von der Ahe $4800 to pay the players, and of this amount $3495 was still due him. Mr. Becker also added that in December, 1897, Von der Ahe had told him that he was disgusted with base ball. His club was in debt, he said, and that he had received offers of $85,000 and $100,000 for it. At that time Mr. Becker offered "Der Boss" $65,000 for it. He did not know of the St. Louis Base Ball Association until the following June, when Muckenfuss told him in the office of the club that the League constitution had been signed by the "St. Louis Base Ball Association, Chris Von der Ahe, president." Chris broke in with the remark:

"That's a good way to get out of the whole business."

In all his negotiation with Von der Ahe, Mr. Becker said that he had never made an offer for anything but Chris's holdings in Sportsman's Park and Club, which Chris assured him owned the franchise.

Von der Ahe denied in toto that he made the statements credited by Mr. Becker and Mr. Reichers. Immediately afterward the case was ordered closed. Judge Spencer then ordered the attorneys to have their briefs handed in not later than the 20th, so as to allow him to render his decision on Monday, Jan. 23.

-Sporting Life, January 28, 1899

Becker's testimony here is really interesting and contains excellent information about the club's inability to pay the players in the summer of 1898. But, nerd that I am, I was most excited by the fact that the article names J.P. Riecher & Son as architects of New Sportsman's Park. I actually have that information in an earlier post about the hearing but missed the significance of it.

Chris Von der Ahe recited his base ball valedictory in Judge Spencer's court [on January 19.] For two hours he occupied the witness stand and explained his complicated role of president of the St. Louis Base Ball Association, owner of the St. Louis Club League franchise, and president of Sportsman's Park and club, which operated the club. Al Spink was the first witness called and testified to the organization of the St. Louis Base Ball Association, by his brother, James Pennoyer and himself. He conducted the Browns during the summer of 1881 and then transferred their interest to Von der Ahe.

Von Der Ahe's Claims.

"Der Boss" then took the stand and continued the story. He told how it was through his personal efforts the American Association of Base Ball Clubs was formed. He insisted that Sportsman's Park and Club cut no figure with his American Association team. Finally he came to what he termed the "promulgation the National League and American Association." In answer to questions, Von der Ahe stated that improvements on the new ball grounds represented an outlay of $59,555. Von der Ahe further testified that the Sportsman's Park and Club never had a bank account; that the directors were his closest personal friends; that he named them; that not one of them ever advanced money to help the club, and that he himself had advanced over $100,000, which the corporation owed him.

A Handicap.

The destruction of the books of the Sportsman's Park and Club in the fire last spring hampered Von der Ahe's cross-examination. Lawyer Rowell drew from him the statement that although he allowed the corporation to operate the club, he received and paid out all the money and lumped the corporation's funds at the Northwestern Bank with his individual account.

Edward Becker

testified that on Von der Ahe's statement that unless his players received their salaries by 10 o'clock the next morning the franchise would be forfeited, he lent to Chris the money to pay the players. George P. Riecher, son of the contractor who built the grand stand, testified to Von der Ahe having paid his firm with bonds, saying that the franchise was included in them.

Evidence All In.

Von der Ahe, when recalled, denied the statements of Becker and Riecher. The attorneys said that all the evidence was in, and Judge Spencer ordered them to have their briefs in by Friday noon, saying he would pass on the case by Monday.

-Sporting Life, January 21, 1899

I'm not willing to call it perjury but there was a bit of revisionism in both Spink and VdA's testimony, especially with regards to how VdA got control of the StLBBA and how the AA was founded. Having said that, Spink and VdA were both correct in that, in 1881, there was a distinction between the StLBBA, which ran the club, and the SPCA, which ran the ballpark. The former was run by the Spink brothers and the latter by Von der Ahe. But, of course, VdA seized control of the club late in the 1881 season and, at that point, it became a distinction without a difference.

The case was called Friday morning and Mr. Von der Ahe's counsel asked for a continuance on the ground that President Nick Young, of the National League, had evaded giving a deposition, with which they expected to prove many of Mr. Von der Ahe's contentions. Judge Spencer, however, refused the request, setting the case for trial at 2 P.M., with the assurance that if Mr. Young's testimony should prove to be essential it can be secured later. Receiver Muckenfuss was the only witness called Thursday, and was on the stand all afternoon. He went into the history of the affairs of Sportsman's Park and Club, telling how it finally reached a stage of bankruptcy, and how Chris Von der Ahe was appointed trustee. He told the history of his subsequent appointment to the receivership, a condition in which Mr. Von der Ahe apparently acquiesced for some time before the action was set on foot to have him ousted.

Chris' Cash Ran It.

Muckenfuss also stated that the franchise had been operated by the corporation, and that he had never heard of the St. Louis Base Ball Association being a separate concern, holding the franchise until quite recently. He also told how contracts with players were made with the corporation. One peculiarity of the business methods pursued at Sportsman's Park was brought out in Mr. Muckenfuss' testimony. While he stated that all bills were addressed to Sportsman's Park and Club, the corporation had never had a bank account in its own name, all deposits being kept in Mr. Von der Ahe's name and the bills of Sportsman's Park and Club were therefore paid with checks signed by Mr. Von der Ahe.

The Players' Contracts.

Quite a surprise was sprung on Von der Ahe when the question of the contracts with players was brought up. Von der Ahe had claimed that all these contracts were burned up in the fire, while Muckenfuss claimed that Von der Ahe had removed them from the park before the place burned last summer. Mr. Muckenfuss, however, had in some way secured two of these contracts, and he furnished them in Court. To say that Mr. Von der Ahe was surprised to see them was putting it mildly. The Von der Ahe side of the case has all along claimed that the only weak spot in Von der Ahe's contention was the fact that the contracts with the players were with Sportsman's Park and Club, and the absence of these contracts was expected to bridge over this difficulty. The contracts produced by Muckenfuss were put in evidence. Mr. Muckenfuss also referred to the insurance paid on the park, saying that when Von der Ahe became trustee he had all the insurance made out in his own name, and that "Chris" got all the insurance, amounting to about $32,000.

Muckenfuss' Finish.

On Friday Mr. Muckenfuss' testimony and cross-examination was finished. The cross-examination did not materially alter his story as told on direct examination the day before. The half-charred contract with Tim Hurst, showing that "Tiny Tim" received $2400 for his services as manager of the Browns last year, was introduced. The contract was with Sportsman's Park and Club, and was introduced for the purpose of proving that that corporation, and not the St. Louis Base Ball Association, operated the base ball franchise, and paid everyone connected with the club.

Other Developments.

Mr. Muckenfuss made several interesting admissions. One of these was that during his connection with the club in an official capacity Mr. Von der Ahe drew between $20,000 and $25,000 annually out of the club treasury. All this time the club was losing money. Another statement was that after the fire Mr. Von der Ahe collected $32,000 insurance, paid for the erection of the new grandstand and office building and put the large wholesome balance of twenty odd thousands in his pocket. Mr. Von der Ahe was trustee of the Sportsman's Park and Club at this time, and will probably report to the court which appointed him on the disposition he has made of the money.

Other Testimony.

E.C. Becker, prominent in the case as the "angel" who supplied Mr. Von der Ahe with funds when the club began to lose money, was called, but his testimony was neither new nor important. Holly Hall, who was the official scorer in 1895, also testified. He was put on to prove that he was employed by and under the direction of the president of the League, Nick Young, but drew his pay from Sportsman's Park and Club. On cross-examination Hall admitted that Von der Ahe had paid his salary with his personal check.

Another Postponement.

With this testimony the plaintiff, Mississippi Valley Trust Company, rested its case, and the defense asked for time to again try to secure a deposition from President Young, of the National League. Judge Spencer allowed until Friday, January 13, for this purpose, and the case was set forward to that day.